NOTORNIS

notornis, takahe, Notornis mantelli

(noun) flightless New Zealand birds similar to gallinules

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

notornis

(New Zealand) The takahe, Porphyrio mantelli, a flightless rail native to New Zealand. [from 19th c.]

Source: Wiktionary


No*tor"nis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Definition: A genus of birds allied to the gallinules, but having rudimentary wings and incapable of flight. Notornis Mantelli was first known as a fossil bird of New Zealand, but subsequently a few individuals were found living on the southern island. It is supposed to be now nearly or quite extinct.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

16 March 2025

SUSPENDED

(adjective) (of undissolved particles in a fluid) supported or kept from sinking or falling by buoyancy and without apparent attachment; “suspended matter such as silt or mud...”; “dust particles suspended in the air”; “droplets in suspension in a gas”


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